To Envy the Stars
by Heroicagal
Summary: Chat Noir has taken to visiting Marinette weekly. When he gets to see how she views both Adrien Agreste and Chat Noir, Chat can't help feeling a little envious over the effect his alter ego has on her. Companion to "Chat Noir's Lucky Charm".


" _You can be the moon and still be jealous of the stars." –Gary Allan_

"Wow, Marinette! These are amazing!" Alya exclaimed as she took in the latest sketches in her friend's sketchbook. Marinette blushed a bit as she had been hoping that Alya wouldn't notice what she was working on. "It's pretty lifelike too, it looks just like some of the pics I have on my blog." Alya whipped out her phone and started pulling up said pictures as proof.

"What're you working on Marinette?" Nino asked as he and Adrien took their seats in front of the two girls. Marinette blushed suddenly and moved her hands to cover the sketch she had in her sketchbook.

"J-just some sketches Nino. Nothing too impressive."

"Are you kidding?!" Alya said in disbelief, plowing through when there was an opportunity to make Marinette look good in front of Adrien. Too bad it was Adrien that Marinette was worried about seeing the drawings.

"Alya's right Marinette. Don't sell yourself short. C'mon, I want to see the awesome job you did. You're designs are always great. " Nino caught on immediately to what she was trying to do and decided to be as helpful as possible, despite the glare from Marinette telling him that he was doing otherwise.

"Do you mind if we take a look Marinette? I don't think Nino's going to take no for an answer." Adrien asked with a slight smile and Marinette caved immediately, cursing her weakness at the sight of his adorable expression.

"Th-they're not very good." She relented before lifting her hands up and starting to pass over her sketchbook. Chlo took the opportunity to be her usual self and quickly moved over to snatch it out of Marinette's grasp while she had the chance, flipping to the pages that Marinette had been hiding.

"And what do we have here?" She asked with a sneer in her tone. Alya and Nino gave her a glare while Marinette turned scarlet and Adrien scowled a bit at Chloѐ. "You were right you know, these aren't all that well done. I've met Chat Noir, these don't really look like him." Adrien raised an eyebrow at that comment and Marinette reached out to grab her book from Chloѐ.

"Give it back Chloѐ." She said, exasperated. Chloѐ sidestepped her reach and waved the book tauntingly.

"I thought you wanted to show us your chicken scratch Marinette! Are you saying you're shy?" Alya rose to her feet to intervene but Marinette held her back with a look that said that she could take care of this on her own.

"I'm saying that I want my property back. Civilized people don't run around stealing other peoples' things for no good reason. It's time you grew up Chloѐ. Now give it back." She was firm and determined, her embarrassment canceled out by her considerable frustration at her classmate. Chloѐ in response gave a nasty look and continued on.

"Speaking of growing up, your little crush on Chat Noir is childish. I think he'd find it creepy that you're spending your time drawing pictures of the two of you together and designing outfits for him. Stalker alert: I'll have to warn Ladybug."  
"Oh, like you have any room to talk. You nearly killed Chat once!" Marinette fired back after once more swiping for her book, only to be intercepted by Sabrina. She seemed more outraged at the fact that Chloѐ had once nearly severely injured Chat than her stolen property at this point.

Adrien, for his part, had had enough of this. He wasn't upset at all that Marinette had taken the time to design new costume additions for him, or that she'd endeavored to capture some of their meetings in her sketchpad. As a matter of fact, he was flattered. No, what he was annoyed with was Chloѐ's constant berating of his friends. This was the last straw.

"That wasn't my fault! I was a victim, and it was all Ladybug's fault. She practically threw herself at my feet begging for forgiveness and we've been best friends ever since."

"I don't think that's quite how it happened Chloѐ." Adrien said as he grabbed onto the sketchbook and tugged it out of her hands. Chloѐ had had it open and her hand was on one of the sketches Marinette had drawn. In surprise she clenched her hand into a fist to keep ahold of the book. In the slight tug of war between her and "Adrikins" she ended up ripping the page straight out of the book.

"Adrien!" Chloѐ whined as

Adrien swiftly handed the book back to a shocked Marinette.

"You're not being funny Chloѐ, you're being petty. Give Marinette back the last page of her book and I think you should apologize too." He crossed his arms and spoke sternly to his first friend. He had let her get away with things in the past because of the girl he knew she had once been, but even his extraordinary patience had to have limits.

"I—"Chloѐ stuttered, flustered at the humiliation of her obvious crush telling her off. He wouldn't have it and simply held his hand out in expectation. She grew wide eyed as all the other kids in the room looked at her in slight disgust. Even Sabrina seemed to be teetering in her loyalties. Feeling the burn of her embarrassment warming her cheeks, Chloѐ retaliated by simply ripping the page in half and storming out, barking for Sabrina to follow.

Marinette sighed deeply as she watched the two leave. She actually even groaned a bit when she realized what page was missing.

"What a jerk!" Alya seethed. Marinette bent down to pick up the halved page at the same time that Adrien did. They bumped into each other and Marinette flushed in chagrin at her clumsiness.

"Here." Adrien said as he scooped up the picture. He was about to hand the page to Marinette when he took a look at the drawing and was taken aback at the artwork. It was utterly fantastic and, as Alya had said, lifelike. There, silhouetted by the moon and starlight, sat Chat Noir right outside Marinette's window. His eyes were a deep green and crinkled in a friendly smile at a joke that Marinette had told him. He remembered this visit. It had been one of the best nights he had had in ages. And the joy that he had felt in being able to just be himself and let loose around a friend had been perfectly rendered on that simple page.

But Marinette had done herself a disservice. Nowhere in the picture was she there to be the catalyst for such joy and his expression. And his lucky charm wasn't adorning his wrist either. In fact, all traces of her were missing from the artwork.

"Th-Thanks A-Adrien. Really. You didn't have to do that." Marinette replied as she took back the page that Adrien was reluctant to hand over. He was even more miffed at Chloѐ that she had destroyed such a beautiful piece of artwork, but there was nothing he could do about it now.

"That's an amazing sketch Marinette. Alya was right, it looks just like him." She smiled shyly at the praise and then scampered back to her seat. When the teacher came in and took role call, Chloѐ was nowhere to be found. Turning his gaze back to Marinette softly, he noticed that she seemed a bit tense the rest of the day and slightly jumpy. She was worried that there would be a worse reprisal than her sketch being destroyed and he was too. An akumatized Chloѐ Bourgeois was nothing to laugh at. Adrien knew from experience. That being said, Chat Noir would be paying Marinette a visit that evening, just to be sure that she was alright.

* * *

Chat was distracted on patrol that night and Ladybug noticed. When they had finished making the rounds (all was quiet), he was about to take off before she stopped him.

"What's up kitty? Is something the matter? You've been off all night." She seemed concerned and normally Chat would be over the moon at the extra attention, but right now he had to reassure her and get out of there so he could check on Marinette.

"I'm fine, M'Lady. Don't worry about me. I've got to go now though, bye!" He took off in the direction of Marinette's home leaving a stunned and confused Ladybug behind. He would've taken the time to explain it to her, but he doubted that she'd approve of him spending so much time in costume just to spend time with a girl because he wanted to be her friend. He didn't need the lecturing on irresponsibility or using the kwamis frivolously.

He loved Ladybug and immensely respected her and her opinions, but sometimes he knew her too well and he just wanted to dodge a rather lengthy explanation on his part, and probable reprisal on her part. Besides, Chat Noir and Ladybug did so much for Paris already, what was wrong with doing one little thing for themselves?  
Chat Noir gave Adrien a chance to get to know Marinette. Something that he found he liked. A lot. So he wasn't going to stop, even if it might seem like an irresponsible use of his powers.

* * *

It had become a pattern to visit her at least twice a week after patrol. Often he spent the time recounting his latest akuma battles, and she would recount everything that happened at school or her latest designs, or how the bakery was going. With Marinette, even though he was in costume, he felt like a normal human being who was valued for who they were, not who his father was or what he could offer them. Adrien was often used as means to an end, Chat Noir was a way to connect oneself to Ladybug. But Marinette saw him as an end in and of itself when they talked, not a tool. He found himself craving and needing that kind of interaction more than he cared to admit. Nino offered him some of that, but he could never let loose his Chat Noir side around his best friend as much as he wanted to. With Marinette, he could show who he hid during the day without fear of judgment or disappointment or being found out.

Coming to the bakery, Adrien let himself in just like he had the other nights he visited .He tapped on her window in an agreed upon pattern, only this time it was one that constituted urgency in his visit. They had developed a series of code knocks because Chat had insisted that she never open the window unless it was after the agreed upon signal for safety measures. He knew all too well what lurked out there in the night, and he wanted Marinette to be as cautious as possible. She had agreed only after a considerable amount of cajoling on Chat's part but still it had been an agreement all the same.

Marinette all but bolted her way to the window when she translated the series of knocks, concern etched into her features.

"Chat?! What's wrong, are you okay?!" She asked as he climbed in and immediately shut and locked the window, all with such haste that he sort of slammed them shut.

"Has anybody been by tonight?" He asked, ignoring her questions for some of his own. "See anything unusual or potential signs of an attack?" Marinette was confused.

"No, why? Is someone chasing you? Do you need help?" Chat Noir smiled softly at her immediate leap into action to help her friend. Marinette was one of the most selfless people he knew. Hopefully she would let someone help her for once.

"I was more worried about someone being after you. I heard about what happened at your school today and I know from experience that if that girl was akumatized again it wouldn't be pretty—" Chat had turned to gaze around the room to search for anything out of the ordinary before stopping in surprise upon one of her walls, the one right near her computer. Marinette followed his line of sight and her face immediately heated up in a brilliantly bright scarlet.

"Um…" She didn't quite know what to say as he took in the many smiling faces of Adrien Agreste adorning her wall and her computer screen. "I, uh—You startled me so I d-didn't have time to…" She was mortified and Chat just continued staring, his brain not comprehending what he was seeing.

"Uh, it's fine." He said after a moment, tearing his gaze from her source of embarrassment. Those definitely hadn't been there the last times he had visited. Come to think of it, they weren't there the first time either. Had that been why it had taken her so long to get to the window after he had knocked upon its panes when he first visited as Chat Noir? He knew for a fact they hadn't been there when they'd been practicing for the tournament.

"So, you heard about school?" She continued the conversation in hopes that they could pretend her shrine wasn't there. Chat, a bit tongue-tied from flattery and another emotion he couldn't quite identify, decided to address the more important matters at hand.

"I heard about Chloѐ Bourgeois getting angry enough to possibly become an akuma victim again. I also heard that she was vandalizing some pretty priceless art." A teasing lilt seeped into his tone this time, he felt comfortable confronting her about the Chat drawings at least. He wasn't sure what to make of the collection of his alter ego. He wasn't freaked out in the way one would think by the pictures and magazine clippings. In fact, he was pretty flattered Marinette cared so much. But what he didn't understand was why she had them there in the first place. Marinette seemed so shy and hesitant around him. Honestly, he thought that she might still be unsure of whether to trust him because of their first meeting. So why had she covered her wall with his picture? Plagg, meanwhile, had taken to cackling through their bond and he shushed him mentally because his very confused mind was still trying to focus.

Marinette groaned in embarrassment again and dug through her stuff.

"I was going to give it to you when the right opportunity arose. But she destroyed it." In her hands was the ripped sketch. She had taped it together in an attempt to salvage it, but he could tell she was disappointed. Adrien was once again flattered and touched at the level of devotion Marinette showed.

"I think it's purrfect." It was a lame pun, and he had overdone it many times but it was enough to keep Marinette from lingering in disappointment and shoot him a look of fond exasperation. Chat grinned unabashedly at her reaction and gently took it from her. "Thanks Princess." She adopted that same shy smile she had had in class and his heart skipped a beat with it directed his way. It was just so wonderful to see her smiling and best of all, _safe_.

"I don't think I've gotten so many compliments in my life on work. First Adrien, now Chat Noir. Be still my beating heart." That last part was said jokingly but Chat appreciated the sentiment.

"You mean pretty boy over there?" Chat raised an eyebrow and gestured to the wall, finding an opening to try and understand its placement in her room. Her blush returned with a vengeance and he was starting to dread the connections he was making.

"Ye-Yeah. Adrien Agreste." She filled in Chat as though he didn't know who he was. The way she said his name threw him off even further.

"Why's he get you so flustered? You aren't like that around me. Or anybody else now that I think about it." Chat continued, wanting to get the answer straight out in the open. Marinette gaped a bit at the question.

"I—He—He's Adrien." She said as though that would completely explain it.

"Right. That explains it." Adrien crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow to which Marinette grew a bit impatient and impertinent.

"Is this really any of your business? Why do you care?" Marinette countered. Chat held up his hands in defeat.

"Call it curiosity."

"Well as the saying goes 'curiosity killed the cat'. You're treading on thin ice kitty." He knew it too but he couldn't stop himself from plowing on like a bull in a china shop, desperate to know just what Marinette thought of both sides of him. He couldn't for the life of him understand why it mattered so much, it just did.

"And satisfaction brought it back. Humor a guy who's in the middle of wooing his own lady and needs a few pointers." Using Ladybug as an excuse was lazy but it was the best he had. Marinette rolled her eyes slightly at the obvious hint but decided she would humor him.

"Adrien—Adrien's _Adrien_. I can't explain it Chat. All I know is that he's _perfect_ and I'm just… me." The slight stab of pain he felt at that statement was twofold. One because Marinette felt that way about herself, the other because Marinette had fallen for him. _Hard_. He'd be blind to not see it. The problem was, she only knew the mask that was Adrien Agreste. The perfect model and heir to a fortune who did photo shoots and private lessons and everything he was told. The boy who had no free will and made no decisions for himself. Nothing like who he really was, who he really wanted to be. Over time Adrien Agreste had started to meld into more of the mask while Chat Noir became the real him. And Marinette was too scared to get to know the real him because she had fallen under the spell of the mask he put up.

It wasn't right and it wasn't fair. But life hardly ever was. That's why in that moment when he was finally gaining insight into the enigma of Marinette Dupain-Cheng the window was shattered as a familiar akuma made her way in to attack.

"MARINETTE DUPAIN-CHENG!" Chloѐ, once again in the form of Antibug, bellowed as she broke into the room. Chat quickly swept Marinette behind him and extended his staff to provide protection. The repeat akuma get up was interesting, he figured she would be akumatized as something new but it didn't really matter. She was here and she was infinitely more deadly and cruel than she was during school hours.

"Marinette, get out of here. Get your family to safety." Chat ordered and pushed her towards the door.

"But, what about—"Marinette dug her heels in, unwilling to abandon her friend to Antibug alone.

"Go! I'll hold her off until Ladybug gets here, you're the one she wants." Marinette seemed to be weighing her options and then decided that listening to Chat was the best one she had right now. She hurried down the hatch as Chloѐ leapt to intercept her.

"Chloѐ—"Adrien tried to reason with her. He was nearly smacked in the face with a replica of Ladybug's yoyo in response.

"Chloѐ isn't here right now. There's only Antibug and what she wants she gets. I beat you last time and I can do it again. I don't think I'll wait around for Ladybug to save you this time. After all, she didn't seem to think you were worth her Miraculous. I might as well take yours and then move onto hers." He tried not to let those few words sting. He hadn't wanted Ladybug to fall for the bait the last time they had faced Antibug and she had come through in the end, but it had seemed like she'd delayed taking action. Chat Noir trusted her enough to know what she was doing, and he knew that she would be there to help him out of the tight spot but the fact remained that she _could've_ been hesitating and weighing the worth of his life against her Miraculous.

He seriously doubted that if that was the case that the Miraculous would've won in the end, but there was always that slight layer of insecurity he faced when confronted by his past failures that weighed heavily on his conscience. Hadn't the reporters been asking that day if they were going to stay a team? Were they implying that Ladybug should stop being his partner? That she would be better off without him? Ladybug had denied that, emphatically stating more than once that they were a team but sometimes he couldn't help but wonder if maybe that they were right. Ladybug would be better off without his goofiness and bumbling.

Was he selfish to keep running into fights after her when he could be the reason she ended up getting hurt? How many times had Chat Noir been used against his partner? How many times had the supposed duo been reduced to a solo act because he had been someone's puppet?

Chloѐ sent her weapon at a distracted Adrien who barely had time to dodge it before it landed a solid hit on the wall of Adrien pictures behind him and smashed Marinette's computer. He cringed a bit at the noise and refocused his attention on the fight at hand. Even if Ladybug didn't need him, Marinette did. That was good enough for him.

"I thought you wouldn't be caught in the same awful get-up twice, but boy did you prove me wrong. Why the repeat? You're upset with Marinette, why the Ladybug imitation? Shouldn't you be running around in spiky heels trying to bludgeon everyone with your sass and bad attitude or something else like that?" It upset him a bit to have to talk to one of his oldest friends like this, especially since she wasn't her normal self, but he needed to keep her off balance and Ladybug had always said that he was good at annoying people. Insults in a fight were one way of accomplishing that. Chloѐ growled and tried to send a roundhouse kick his way which he ducked under and extended his staff so he could trip Antibug as he regained his footing. She fell on her back and was staring at Marinette's collection of photos and her sketchbook when she gazed up. It set something off in her.

"Well, why not be Antibug again? Everybody looooves Ladybug and everybody just loves little Miss Perfect Marinette. Me? They treat me like a joke! Even Adrien!" She regained her footing and Chat Noir was surprised to see that her eyes were slightly misting over. "Do you have any idea what it's like to live in someone else's shadow like that? To want nothing else to be liked who you really are? People take one look at me, my father, and they assume that I'll be one way. So why not act like it; no one would give me the time of day otherwise!" Chat Noir glanced from the wall to the computer to the sketchbook and the now torn and ragged Chat Noir sketch Marinette had made.

"I understand Chloѐ. Better than you'd think. But you don't have to act this way because Hawk Moth or anybody else for that matter thinks you should. You are who you are, you shouldn't hide behind a mask because trust me, it'll end up being nothing but painful in the long run for you." Adrien seemed to be breaking through to Antibug before the outline of an akuma appeared over her face and he sighed. Hawk Moth was regaining control. He was going to have to stop her the way they stopped everyone else. Well, once Ladybug got there anyways.

"Enough talking Chat Noir. I want your Miraculous. Now!" Antibug this time aimed for Chat's legs and tackled him to the ground. They started an all-out brawl, grappling for the upper hand. The problem was that even if Chat could normally easily take Chloѐ in a fight, she had almost the exact same powers as Ladybug now. That included enhances strength. And in a toe to toe fight, Ladybug always had been able to gain the upper hand on Chat Noir.

The door to hatch to Marinette's room was thrown open and both of them lost their concentration to see the entrance of Ladybug.

"Impeccable timing as always M'Lady." Chat smiled without really feeling it at Ladybug, the words Chloѐ spoke before resonating quite clearly. With Ladybug there it was quick work before Chloѐ was back to her usual self, the akuma cured, and Ladybug hurried off. Chat never even got the chance to ask how she knew where he was. He always expected her to know but he wondered how she knew this time.

* * *

Chat had a hard time finding Marinette. First he had to get rid of a grouchy Chloѐ who did nothing but pretty much shriek questions. Once he had finally ushered her away from the bakery (far, far away), he hurried back to try and make sure that Marinette and her family were alright. He was relieved to see that when he poked he peered into Marinette's window her mother and father had just gave her one last reassuring hug goodnight and left her to sleep off the excitement after leaving a can of mace within her easy reach.

Knocking once more upon the window, Marinette sleepily padded over and let Chat in.

"Are you okay?" He immediately asked. The destruction of the fight had been set right by Ladybug's Miraculous Cure. Good. Marinette didn't need anything else to worry about.

Marinette nodded slightly and yawned. Seeing that his time was running out (he hadn't used Cataclysm but Plagg still needed a recharge) he decided it was about time to wrap up his visit.

"Good." Chat's eyes caught something sitting on Marinette's newly fixed desk and an idea came to him. Smiling happily he walked over. "There's just one last thing that needs fixing." After grabbing the beautiful sketch, he found a thumbtack from and quickly pinned the drawing to her wall among the many Adrien photos and magazine articles.

"Wha—"Marinette started, confused.

"Just in case your prince isn't up to the job, your knight can keep watch over you." Chat Noir tried not to glare bitterly at the faces that seemed to be mocking him with a sneer of superiority. Why did he feel the need to measure up to himself? He _was_ Adrien. Just not the one that Marinette seemed to be in love with. She only knew half of who he was. Why did he so desperately want her to care about both halves just as much? Her small chuckle in response to his admittedly childish actions made his insides do a summersault.

"Alright kitty. If that's what you want. Only if you promise to remember that this "Princess" can take care of herself and that she's got your back if your lady falls down on the job." She brushed her hand against his wrist where her charm bracelet faithfully remained. Chat blushed a bit at the contact.

"As you wish." He smiled back and then the final warning beep alerted him to the need to go. "Gotta dash Princess. Catch you later." He took off then, smiling at the fact that at the very least Marinette seemed to enjoy his company as Chat Noir. She cared about him as Chat, at least as a friend. Adrien might have her heart, but Chat Noir was someone she trusted to watch over her and her family. He could live with that.

And who knew? Maybe someday she would see who he was truly. Every aspect of him. She may not have a crush on him anymore after she knew, but he hardly felt it would be fair to hope that she would. After all, he still was in love with Ladybug. It would be unfair to ask her to compete with that. But they could be friends. _Very good_ friends with no more secrets and masks. That would truly be miraculous.

…Though deep down he couldn't help but wonder if it were not for his Lady, would the Princess already have her prince?

 _ **Because Marichat is my ship and I can't help but think that Chat Noir could easily fall for Marinette since Ladybug turns away his advances.**_


End file.
